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Write a story that includes (or is inspired by) the phrase “Look what the cat dragged in” or "Let the cat out of the bag."

Posted in Short Story on Oct 31, 2025

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✍️ 44 stories

That Old Cat

Submitted to Contest #327

The cat-- though it could hardly be called that, with its bottle brush tail sticking out at an odd angle from its thin, matted body-- pranced into Ms. Ettewidge’s kitchen like it owned the place. Ms. Ettewidge notoriously hated cats, despising them with every fiber of her being. She shooed them from her house with the same broom she cleaned the chimney with. Local children cuddled their own cats close, beneath coverlets or behind the sofa, as they told the same story again and again: the tale of Ms. Ettewidge drowning neighborhood cats, putt...

40 likes 18 comments 18
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Samhain's Eve

Submitted to Contest #327

Isla McEwan had a cat.Though, to say she had a cat is perhaps a rather improper way to describe such an arrangement. No one, as is widely known, truly owns a cat. One may, at best, share a home with such a creature, provided the cat finds the situation suitably agreeable.Now, this feline was far from your ordinary house cat. He was rather large, by cat standards, long-bodied and sturdy of paw, with eyes the colour of polished sea-glass. His coat, a deep black that appeared at times to swallow even the brightest firelight. Only a single spot ...

29 likes 7 comments 7
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Luke Combs and the Fantastic Journey

Submitted to Contest #327

It was the last nice day of the year, for real this time, as Virginia Crabble waited for her coffee, outside at Pat’s Cafe. It had been her hangout, her center and her confidant since she enrolled at State three years ago. They mixed in the most exquisite flavors in with their beans, especially this time of year, the pumpkin spice was just to die for. The light breeze blew her brownish red curls into her face as the new girl barista emerged baring her warm delicious drink. “Virginia?” “Yes, that's me.” “Oh, I would have thought you would be ...

19 likes 17 comments 17
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If two witches were watching two watches, which witch; would watch which watch?

Submitted to Contest #327

“If two witches were watching two watches, which witch; would watch which watch?” “If two witches were watching two watches, which witch; would watch which watch?” “If two witches were watching two watches, which witch; would watch which watch?” The gnarled, old face of the worn-out woman looked into the cracked mirror; the blackened edges of the wall mirror were desilvering with age. There was a grimace on her face; but I’m not sure one could classify the movement on her mirrored reflection as a smile, after each successful rendition of the...

18 likes 8 comments 8
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The Real Carnival de la Lune

Submitted to Contest #327

“Step right up, step right up! The Carnival de la Lune has arrived–come tonight and see the impossible! You there, in the top hat, buy your ticket now at half price! Madam in the yellow dress? Can I interest you in a ticket to a world of wonder? Perhaps you, little lad, would be interested in our lions? Mighty beasts with–no? Not interested? Well…,” Millie, a young trapeze artist, advertised over the din of the bustling street, crowded with pedestrians, horses, and carriages.Millie had been the trapeze artist for the Carnival de la Lune for ...

14 likes 2 comments 2
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Of Sabers & Sand

Submitted to Contest #327

We meet on the long road from Gilead. He’s a lone figure marching eastward, to match my lone figure marching west. The sun is high and fearsome bright, threatening to scorch the sight from my eyes should I remove the double-lensed goggles strapped tight to my head. Ruddy and bloody, his face is the facade of a building just bombed-out. Tall, blockish, criss-crossed with scars old and new. Close-cropped hair, wide beaming grimace, several dark holes where teeth should be, and one tarnished gold incisor. He has straight razor blades affixed to...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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Nine Lives

Submitted to Contest #327

Content notice: allusion to fertility issues.First life: Dubrovnik, Croatia ‘It’s going to jump!’ Indi gasped. Alfie stopped her, one hand on her waist, other on her navel. She shivered. ‘Don’t run, you’ll scare it.’ They both looked over to the cat’s landing-place - from one side of the old city walls to the other, a hand-span’s strip which tipped over into a death-drop canvas of terracotta rooftops. ‘It’s got this,’ he said. ‘Cats know what they’re about. That’s their thing.’ The cat paused, tail twitching, assessing the gap. Then it jumpe...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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LOOK WHAT THE CAT CHERRY-PICKED

Submitted to Contest #327

LOOK WHAT THE CAT CHERRY-PICKEDA short story for the Reedsy 'Whiskers & Witchcraft' contest~2,800 words1The day my familiar force-pushed the universe, I was debugging curses in production.I sat cross-legged on the sky-bridge that spans the Null River, laptop carved from obsidian, fans whirring like gargoyle wings. Below me, translucent packets of data drifted downstream—failed spells, aborted timelines, the usual detritus of a world whose source code is publicly readable on the aethernet. My screen blinked: CONFLICT: branch 'main' and b...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Wilhelmina's cat

Submitted to Contest #327

Wilhelmina's cat Wilhelmina’s old witch’s broom was her pride and joy. The holiday was coming up, so she meticulously cleaned and repainted its stiffened bristles with lamp black. Then she oiled the hardwood stick handle, giving the old grain a new finish. Polished its brash fittings and stirrups to a high gleam. Replaced the badly perishing, right over left, handed-grip along the haft, one procured from only the finest quality manufacturer. And made sure the side-view mirrors were positioned just right, never worried about the reflected rea...

13 likes 12 comments 12
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Look what the cat dragged in

Submitted to Contest #327

The soft breeze caressed my face, bringing with it the scent of the ocean. Small waves washed up against the shore, embracing my feet. It was calming, yet my heart was still racing, the pounding of the organ echoing throughout my body—in my ears, my veins, my vision was flickering with each beat. I felt an urge to go farther into the ocean that awaited me. I listened. The water that surrounded me like a blanket, dulling my senses, calming me. The water reached my shoulders, but the urge to go farther stayed. I did. I moved farther till I was...

12 likes 0 comments 0
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"Human" Resources

Submitted to Contest #327

“I realized a long time ago that I could do the bare minimum at my job and nobody would notice. I'm passionate about torturing souls, believe me, it's just that I feel uninspired. You can only do the same thing over and over again before it just gets old, you know?! I guess I'm just feeling a little burned out is all.” Asmodeus sat reclined, pouring his demonic soul out. He had been coming to these sessions for centuries, and he felt like he was on the edge of a real breakthrough. Lilith, his appointed therapist, sat with a ghostbound book i...

12 likes 3 comments 3
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My Little Family

Submitted to Contest #327

‘Onyx!’ the firm yet tender voice bounces off every wall of the huge empty house, soon followed by the faint thud of a bowl touching the floor. She stands there for a couple of minutes, waiting for her cat to appear for dinner, but no cat sets foot in the living room. ‘It’s okay, you eat when you’re hungry,’ she murmurs. The cat is gone, he is gone. Everyone she’s loved – everyone she’s had – is gone. She’s on her own now. But the cat must be here somewhere, he’s probably just playing hide and seek with her. There was no carcass after all. N...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Eirairr and The Cat

Submitted to Contest #327

Eirairr and The CatBy. S Greyholt Today was one of Twin Feathers’ rare off days. Qlul was out, shopping in the Plus Market. Ecirr sipping a mug of tea in the front of the inn, window cracked beside him, allowing the crisp winter air in. A handful of other patrons were here, but they didn’t mind. Ecirr was like a regular fixture in this place—or, at least he felt things appeared that way. Every time they had an off day, Ecirr came to read, study, or write in this exact seat, window cracked open this exact amount… a mug of this exact tea in hi...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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What's at Stake

Submitted to Contest #327

The year was 1954, and Dr. Canard was delighted at the new mummified body that had arrived in his workroom at the Museum of Antiquities. Canard was an elderly man, but even though he had to walk with a cane, his mind was as spry as ever. As he approached the imposing box, a little orange tabby cat named Kronos was equally as interested. Kronos was the official mouser for the museum basement. Always offering a soft meow and a leg rub, Kronos had endeared himself to the elderly scientist. Currently, he was sitting near Canard, sharing his exc...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Heaven sent her.

Submitted to Contest #327

It was a glorious day, on Earth and Heaven divine. Mrs. Bridget Flaherty had woken up as a golden soul, on the other side of midnight. She was still wearing her football scarf, wrapped in her shroud. She did get a modest sendoff, after the Holy Rosary and Final Blessing. Her shade had wandered round her wake, with a roaring thirst on her, as all her long lost family of freeloaders had drunk her liquor cabinet."No use grumbling, there's always someone worse off..." Bridget told herself, as she lined up in the retinue waiting at the pearly ga...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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